


à la Alien

by mulletmcfulletboy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Klance if you squint, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, for voltron ss2k16, general panic, or crisis in keith's case lmao, shiro is a supportive dad, so merr crismus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 08:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9115009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mulletmcfulletboy/pseuds/mulletmcfulletboy
Summary: Keith makes a late-night discovery that shocks him to the core. With help from his friends, maybe he'll realize he can be loved regardless of who he is.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For urka-from-murica on tumblr
> 
> Merry Christmas, Danny!

Purple. All he could see was purple.

He was running, going as fast as his legs could bear. He swerved around corners, desperately trying to confuse his pursuer, but the manic laughter behind him never came closer or farther; instead it trailed after him, just a few steps behind, taunting, just close enough to reach out and drag him back with it, so close, too close, gaining ground now, louder and louder and-

Keith woke with a jolt, his heart pounding out of his chest. He slumped back down onto the bed exhausted, as if it hadn't been a dream, as if that awful, awful laughter could follow him into the waking world.

“Nope,” Keith whispered aloud to himself. There was no way in hell he was dwelling any more on the dream. It had left him feeling weird enough already- his body felt hot, and something itched across his skin, not quite foreign, but not familiar, either, and his head felt- heavy, somehow. He was so sick of these useless fears running through his head, making his pulse race. He sat up, tried to catch his breath, but his discomfort refused to go away. He slipped out of the stuffy room, hoping a bit of water on his face could fix everything. If it didn’t (which it never did), he could always train. 

As he made his way to the bathroom, he was still debating whether or not he could get away with training this late at night. Shiro tended to be awake around this time- he rarely ever slept, and nothing seemed to help him- and he’d started trying to limit Keith's practice time, insisting he’d wear himself out. Keith didn't see the problem. As long as he was ready to go for missions and surprise attacks, it was fine, wasn’t it? They were here to save the universe, and Keith had to be at his best for them to succeed. Still lost in thought, he opened the door, flicked on the light, looked up-

“AH!” He threw himself backwards, slamming himself against the wall of the corridor. No, he thought to himself, that wasn't real. I could still be dreaming. That’s impossible...

“Keith?” Shiro’s voice rung through the hall. He could hear footsteps from all sides, closing in on him. No, he couldn't let them see him, not until he knew he was hallucinating. He scrambled to the small room, closing and locking the door behind him. He stayed there, breathing slowly, doing anything to avoid seeing his face or hands, or anything that would confirm the fear forming in his gut. Finally, he’d had enough. He pushed off the wall, turned around, and came face to face with a monster.

He couldn't breathe. This made no sense, there was no possible way it could be real, but at the same time, the puzzle pieces in Keith's brain were starting to fit together. The bay doors on the Balmera had closed with just a touch of his hand, his hand which was now covered in fur and thick, paw-like skin on the palms. Purple fur that itched, not foreign or familiar, across his whole body. His head still felt heavy, but now the weight could be explained by the giant, bat-like ears protruding from his head. He stared back at the alien in the mirror. His felt his ear twitch, as his reflection did the same. But it couldn't be. It couldn't be. It couldn't be.

"You fight like a Galra soldier."

Everything was blurring together. He was splashing water on his face, pinching himself, going through the motions of trying to wake himself up from this fucking nightmare. How do you deal with something like this? Finally, he collapsed against the door, gasping for air like a fish out of water. The door was shuddering against him, but he couldn't hear a thing. I’m in shock, he realized. I’m definitely in shock.

Slowly, sounds started to come through. The voices of his friends were starting to fade in, calling for him.

“Keith?”

“KEITH”

“You okay, man?”

“KEITH, IF YOU'RE DEAD OR SOMETHING I SWEAR I'M GONNA KILL YOU”

Keith had to hold his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at Lance’s shrill yelling. It was loud, grating, and kind of endearing, a lot like the boy himself. He went to respond, but his voice died in his throat as he remembered where he was, what was happening. He couldn't show them...whatever this was. They would hate him. They’d accuse him of being a double agent. They’d never trust him again. And Shiro…

No, there was no way he could tell them. But if he stayed quiet, they'd only get more anxious. They might think he’d gotten himself hurt, they could break down the door. They would see him. He had no other choice but to open his mouth.

“Hey, guys.” His voice shook, and he cringed at the sound. Way to be subtle, Keith.

The door went still immediately. “Keith, are you alright? You had us scared to death.” Shiro’s voice was gentle and calming, like he was trying to tame a wild animal. Keith almost laughed. The comparison was overwhelmingly accurate now.

“ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE OKAY IN THERE? YOU WEREN’T SAYING ANYTHING-” Lance was cut off with a grunt of protest and a giggle from Pidge. Keith could only wonder who had decided to show his ears mercy and shut Lance up. “Hey, Lance, could you speak up? I couldn’t hear you.” He could hear Pidge start to laugh even harder, and he could only imagine how pissed his quote-unquote “rival” was right now. It was a good image.

He was getting distracted. He had to put them off his trail, tell them what they wanted to hear. He could figure this out, he had to; but not when everyone he cared about was right outside the door, adding unneeded pressure to, he thought as he held his arms to his chest, trying to keep the claws on his fingertips from digging into skin, what was already undoubtedly the single worst moment of his life.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine, I just, uh.. I kinda tripped? On, the bathtub, and it kinda surprised me. I’m all good now, though. Everything’s totally fine.” He smiled as he said it, big and fake, hoping maybe it would be helpful, somehow. He could hear his friends discussing something on the other side of the door, and for a moment, he feared everything had fallen apart. They knew he was lying to them (and of course they did, he was a horrible liar), so now they wanted answers, no matter how they got them. But that didn't happen. Their mutterings faded out, and Keith could feel Shiro lean against the door. “Keith, I’m-we’re glad you're okay. Do you mind coming out for a sec, just to make sure you’re totally fine?”

Nope. Nope. Nope no no no hell fucking no. His gut clenched, and he felt something...unsettling on his tongue. He lunged forward to the mirror. When he opened his mouth, blood trickled from the corner. He’d cut his mouth on his own damn teeth, the canine-like molars taunting him from inside his own body. This was bad. This was so bad.

“Shiro, it’s all good. Don't worry about me. I just…need a second. To finish up in here.” He could hear Shiro's sigh, but after a little more muttering- something going back and forth between Shiro and Lance- Keith began to hear footsteps moving away, getting quieter and quieter until he couldn't hear them at all.

Finally, Keith could think. He rose from the floor and moved slowly, every step uncertain as he went back to the mirror. Yellow eyes stared back at him, soulless and unyielding. His knees were quivering underneath him. He didn't want this. He could feel his worry pulling at his stomach, and hot tears matting the purple fur covering his face. He couldn’t do this.

The pulling feeling got stronger, abnormally so. Keith lifted the hem of his shirt, not sure what to expect next- a twisted deformity, a second creature inside him pushing to free itself à la Alien- only to find skin.  
Bare, human skin.

Keith felt his heart stutter in his chest. He splayed his hand on the patch of skin- it was smooth, and hairless, and real, a life raft in an open sea. An idea came to his mind. A strange, nonsensical idea, but an idea nonetheless. He pressed his hand into the patch, focused on it and it alone. He imagined the patch expanding, covering the rest of his body, whisking away the fur and claws and every other horrible thing he’d woken up to. 

And like magic, his body complied.

Keith watched in utter shock as his skin reappeared; his skin, the outside of his body exactly the way it was supposed to be. He was himself again.

But before he could celebrate, a sharp pain twisted through him, radiating from his core through every inch of his being. It seemed the pulling feeling at his gut had become a permanent resident, and Keith cursed himself for hoping it could have been that easy.

Whatever had just happened...he wasn't ready to face it. Not now. As much as he hated putting off his responsibilities, he needed at least another hour of sleep before he could even think about the colour purple again. So, Keith took one last look in the mirror (black hair, human ears, bloodshot eyes), one last gulp of air, and strode semi-confidently out of the hall bathroom.

And was immediately taken down by Lance’s sleeping form.

Keith's mind flew past anger and went straight to confusion as he fell. What was Lance doing out here? He was splayed out on the ground, but all his thoughts were focused on his friend as he turned over to really look at him. Lance, it seemed, was fast asleep- even being tripped over hadn't stirred him. A possible explanation occurred to Keith, but there was no way Lance had stayed outside the door this long just to make sure he was okay. What had he ever done to deserve that?

Maybe I could do something now, Keith thought, and then he noticed the blanket Lance had with him. With the smallest smile, he draped the blanket over his friend, tucking him in as best he could, the way he always complained about missing. Lance grunted and twisted at the touches, but somehow that made Keith smile even more. These people had become so important to him, and he hadn't even realized it. 

All the more devastating for him to lose.

Keith sucked in a breath like he’d been punched, quickly moving away from the sleeping boy on the floor. He had to be stronger than this...affliction, he decided he’d call it. Keith would confront it, defeat it, and destroy it, and no one would ever have to know. No one would ever have to fear him. 

Until then, Keith knew he needed sleep. He turned on his heel, pushing away the pulling in his stomach and walking derisively back to his room. He was stronger than this. He was stronger than this.

Fur chafed under his gloves the whole way there.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting fanfic, so I'd really appreciate any constructive criticism!


End file.
